This invention relates generally to decision and selection support logic.
There are many decision support systems available currently. Most are specialized for a given subject matter. Many focus on a yes/no decision and there are some that focus on selection from multiple options. Decision support systems intend to consider multiple, possibly complex, factors in an objective, impersonal and emotionless manner.
A common method is to develop a decision tree, making selections at each node in the tree to eliminate one candidate in favor of another. The requirement for these systems is that the candidates are inherently comparable by being numeric. Decision trees also eliminate candidates from consideration as the tree is traversed. This is analogous to a directed sequence of filters and can lead to premature elimination of some candidates.
It would be advantageous to have a method by which all important factors for a decision, whether measurable or not, objective or not, could be considered when making decisions. Additionally, it would be advantageous for such a method to prevent suboptimal decisions due to premature elimination of candidates.